Origins Of Roadside Oddities Come To Light

CRUISE CONTROL

Fascinating stories have emerged about the plastic flamingos, wooden birdhouses and painted ``eagle rock'' featured in this column last week.

For readers who missed it, we looked at the mysterious origins of these roadside oddities and the laughs that they evoke in passing commuters.

Although we'll probably never learn the full story of each -- after all, what fun would that be? -- several people offered bits of background over the past week.

By far, the biggest fan club seems to be backing the plastic flamingos in the ponds near the Route 3 overpass, just off Route 2, at the Glastonbury and East Hartford line.

Thanks to the sharp memory of Colchester reader Karie Parker, some of their history was unearthed in The Courant's 1990 archives.

A column by staff writer Peter B. Pach exposed the lawn ornaments for exactly what they were: Flamingo Plasticus, which made their debut there in spring 1989.

Like many others, Pach initially thought the first pink plastic flamingos were set up as a clever bit of whimsy. Then, he received an anonymous letter from someone who explained that the birds were a protest against the state's destruction of natural wetlands during construction of the overpass.

``We were poking fun at the ecological value of these highway synthetic wetlands and suggesting that this particular species of wildlife may be all that will thrive in the new habitat,'' the letter read.

The letter was signed, ``Ornithologically yours, S & P.''

Since that time, the first pink plastic flamingo has been joined by others of its species. At various times, the pond also sports a shark's fin, a lobster-trap buoy and a ``diver down'' flag.

Pach, who's now an editorial writer for The Courant, admits that he was so amused that he kept the letter from ``S & P'' for years. And like the rest of us, he still looks for the flamingos when he passes the spot.

On a related subject, I received an unsigned note last week from someone with a personal connection to the wooden birdhouses and ornaments on the sound barriers at the westbound I-384/I-84 merging point in Manchester.

The writer mentioned how a close family friend, the late Rev. Bob Saunders, loved all animals and ``used to chuckle over the houses on the barrier also.''

Father Saunders died on April 20, 1997, after a traffic accident. Friends statewide mourned the loss, remembering him from his days as principal at East Catholic High School and his time as superintendent in the Farmington school district.

``In memory of him and to get my grandchildren past his death, I bought a couple of birdhouses and let them paint them, then wrote `In our friend's memory' on the bottom of them and tacked them up next to the other two,'' the letter-writer explained. ``Each time we go by, we smile.''

The writer did not sign the letter: ``I knew we were trespassing when we did it, but if it lifts one person's spirits as they pass by, it is worth it.''

Speaking of ``passing by'' something, the mention of the so-called ``eagle rock'' on Route 66 in Hebron prompted happy childhood memories in one reader.

Kate Staudt, a Rockville resident who lived in Storrs as a young child, said she remembers seeing ``huge rocks shaped as frogs'' along the roadside as she rode in her family's car.

Staudt's family moved to England when she was 10 years old, and she returned to the area in 1996. But she has not rediscovered the site of those childhood memories, despite straining to recall the details.

Friends have suggested various places near Putnam, East Haddam and the Meshomasic State Forest in Marlborough. Considering the town of Windham's love of all things froggy, that could be a possibility, too.

And indeed, the Hebron spot hasn't been ruled out.

Marlborough resident Violet Schwarzmann said she remembers noticing that the rock on Route 66 was painted as a frog when her family moved here in 1960, which was only five years after Staudt's family moved away.

It later was changed to resemble a snake's head, then eventually was painted like an eagle by Jason Sawyer, son of former Probate Court Judge Kathleen Sawyer. Hence, it's now ``eagle rock.''

Maybe it's the same one that Staudt recalls, or maybe not. So if anyone else out there recalls another ``frog rock'' nearby -- or, indeed, any interesting roadside oddity -- please drop me a line.

Bob DiBella, Glastonbury's director of civil preparedness, was pondering the ``frog rock'' question when he came upon its cousin: ``Al E. Gator.''

The gator, which makes its home at the end of Forest Lane in Glastonbury (near the start of Goodale Hill Road), is ``the size of a Volkswagen'' and labeled with its name, he explained.

``It looks great. You're just driving along and there it is, out in the country,'' he said.